Suggestions, Ideas, Comments...All Welcome :-)

So the semester is winding down, which means before you know it I'll be graduating and Epsilon will have a new Alumni Secretary. In fact, that person will be elected this coming Tuesday! I'm making this post because I thought it would be a good chance for us to get YOUR feedback and suggestions. It has been my goal all semester to streamline our communication with alumni in order to help you all feel more connected to the chapter. We are well on our way to building, re-building, and continuing those awesome connections! Comment on this post with any suggestions, ideas, or comments that you may have for future Alumni Secretaries. Hearing from YOU is important to the continued success of this position so that our alumni can remain an important asset to Epsilon!

Summer Alumni Event: Save-the-Date!

That's right, we are planning a summer alumni event in Columbia! The details still need to be worked out, but we just wanted to make sure that everyone had the date so that they could pencil it in. We would of course like to see as many people as possible! This should be a great way to pull together alumni from all eras of Epsilon's history, especially those who have not been able to pay a visit to Kirksville for several years. Click on the image below to see a larger version.

Formal Weekend--A Blog Told in Pictures

Well, last weekend turned out to be an absolute blast! We had about 25 Epsilon alumni that came back to join us for an amazing Formal weekend. The weekend included an Alumni Night Out at Dukum on Friday, a delicious Advisor Appreciation Luncheon, and of course Formal. I thought it would be fun to recount the events of the weekend through pictures:

Alumni Night Out: Greg Thompson, Michelle Riley, Andy Karcher, Amy Shipp, bartender, Jacquelyn McCord, Ashley Freund, and Angie Otten

Alumni Night Out: Lauren Johnson, Stephen Barnes, Marlene Clark, Andy Karcher

Everyone knows that Epsilon's advisors deserve all the appreciation we can give them! This year we decided to plan Advisor Appreciation Week during the week of Formal so that we could invite alumni to join us. We had a wonderful Advisor Appreciation Luncheon at the new Baptist Student Union building (gorgeous!), and our delicious pasta lunch was prepared potluck-style by our active brothers. Everyone had a great time eating, visiting, and reminiscing.

Look at all the awesome alumni that came to the luncheon! Pictured are Top Row: Amy Shipp, Jacquelyn McCord, Jim Roach, Lauren Johnson, Randall Cupp, Greg Thompson, and Andy Karcher Middle Row: Julie Hanch, Michelle Riley, Cara Hurst, Anna Dearmont, and Jill Scognamiglio Bottom Row: Raymond Feilner and Marlene Clark

Our wonderful advisors: Raymond Feilner, Julie Hanch, Margie Burick-Hughes, Linda "Mom" Caraway, Pam Ryan, Kenneth Carter

Marlene Clark gave a great and thoughtful keynote speech at Formal this year.

Some of you may or may not know that last year at Formal our amazing alum, Randall Cupp, started a new award in Epsilon called the Distinguished Alumni Key. This award was instituted to recognize those alumni who go above and beyond to assist and be involved with Epsilon well beyond their time as an active brother. Only alumni who are at least four years removed from the chapter are eligible. Randall once again made it to Formal this year and helped me present this year's DAK to a very deserving alum, Lindsay Johnson Caldwell (S '03). Lindsay was unable to be present to accept the award due to a business trip (hence the picture of Randall and I instead of Lindsay). Congratulations Lindsay!

This year thirteen Gold Sashes were awarded! Pictured are Top Row: Amy Pisarkiewicz, Trieu Vo, Kyle Tracy, Theresa Perkins, and Abby Simons Bottom Row: Laura Twillman, Karen Rohrer, Kelly Thomure, and Shelley Dressel. Not pictured are Pam Ryan, Jenny (Lamb) Bailey, Kelsey Doerr, and Neal Haley

And of course the evening ended with our brothers in the fellowship circle singing American Pie and the Toast Song! Thanks again to everyone who made the evening SUCH an incredible one!

I'm Going to Formal! Are you?

So, as per the suggestion of one of our alumni, I decided to make a post for all of you to respond about Formal. I've already gotten RSVPs from several people, but this would be a way for all you alumni to start a dialogue amongst each other! If you're coming to Formal, just comment on this post to let everyone know your plans. Don't forget that there are three events set up for Formal weekend (which is RIGHT around the corner...just 9 days away!):

Friday: Alumni Night Out, meet at Dukum at 10pm

Saturday afternoon: Advisor Appreciation Luncheon, 12-2pm, Baptist Student Union Building--we'll be having a potluck pasta lunch prepared by our active brothers

Saturday night: FORMAL!, Night of the Cherry Blossoms, 8pm-midnight, El Kadir Shrine Club

Even if you can't join us for Formal, go ahead and comment on this post anyway to tell everyone "Hello". If you can't make it to see people in person, why not send a smile in cyberspace!?